Kilkenny County Council paid tribute to new senator Pat O’Neill’s achievements in being elected to the Seanad at this month’s meeting of Kilkenny County Council.
Sen O’Neill was presented with a token of gratitude by chairman of the council Catherine Connery.
He was welcomed by all to the meeting and he spoke to the members thanking them for their support over the seven years that he was a poll-topping councillor in the Thomastown electoral area.
“When Phil Hogan and Billy Ireland came knocking on my door in 2003, suggesting I stand for the council, I laughed at the very idea of it,” he recalled. “However, as all those who know Phil will attest, he’s pretty good at getting what he wants and before I knew it, I was a candidate in the 2004 Local Election. My success in that election and the one that followed in 2009 would not have been possible without my excellent team of canvassers and supporters, who this year helped to propel me all the way to the Senate.”
He added that he was happy with the portfolio he was appointed in the Seanad.
“I was delighted to have been given responsibility for the transport portfolio in the Senate by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny. Having travelled over 10,000 kilometres on the Seanad trail, I certainly feel I have something to say about the road network. You can take it from me: we are very lucky to have such talented engineers and hard working staff here in Kilkenny to keep our roads in good shape and I will be doing all I can to ensure that funding continues in that regard. I suppose having the Minister for Local Government in the county won’t do us any harm.
“As well as transport, I am anxious to promote Kilkenny as a place to do business,” he added. “We can see from the success of companies like Glanbia in Ballyragget and Mosses’ Pottery in Bennettsbridge – to name but two - that Kilkenny is a great location for businesses of all varieties and sizes.”
Sen O’ Neill acknowledged that one of the county’s biggest assets is tourism potential.
“We have a beautiful county with many monuments and buildings of huge historical significance. These days, we can even claim Barack Obama’s uncle, five times removed, John Kearney, a former bishop of Ossory, who is buried in St Canice’s Cathedral.
“Fine Gael and Labour in government have been taking steps to increase the tourist market, for example, abolishing travel tax, introducing a temporary VAT rate of nine per cent for some entertainment and catering services and reducing the VAT rate from 13.5 per cent to 9 per cent on a range of tourism-related goods and services. I am confident that Kilkenny can benefit from these initiatives.”
Sen O’Neill pledged that he would do all he could to assist them “in progressing matters at national level”.
“My door is always open, my phone is always on.”
